


The Curse Of The 9th Master

by city_skylines



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Curses, Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers, Fanfiction, Magic, Multi, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Other, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-18 00:52:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13670853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/city_skylines/pseuds/city_skylines
Summary: The past is revealing itself for the wizards at Fairy Tail. Long ago, a curse was set that the 9th master of Fairy Tail would soon betray his guild and his friends. Will Fairy Tail's strongest team be able to lift the curse before it's too late?





	1. Chapter 1

_*Flashback*_

_It was thundering outside as swift drops of rain fell. Yuri Dreyar watched as rain was falling down the windowpane, he was leaning against. He was bored, watching the rain as if waiting for something to occur. Everyone was inside, huddling together from the cold harsh winds from outside. The quiet drops of rain striking the roof of the guild hall could be heard. The splashing of clusters of water droplets outside were drowning the ground in cold liquids. Then, as if on cue, a giant streak of lightning flashed in the dull gray sky, lighting up the whole sky up._

_The doors of the Fairy Tail guild hall were busted open and almost immediately, a lash of cold air blew in with a side of wet leaves, falling gently on the floor. Everyone's head turned to the front doors, their heads wondering in curiosity. The floorboards creaked slightly as a figure in a raven-colored cloak walked in. The doors retreated back, leaving the temperature still cold._

_Yuri Dreyar narrowed his eyes and looked cautiously at the hooded form. The hood was lifted off and an aged woman appeared from under it. She had long gray hair, hanging loosely on her, wet from the rainfall. She had menacing brown eyes, as if staring right into you. Her wicked eyes turned right to Yuri, observing him carefully. Yuri froze, who was this woman and why was she looking at him so strangely? She walked up to Yuri until she was inches away from him._

_"Yuri!" Warrod whispered, trying to get the boy's attention. But no response. Yuri was too stunned to move. He didn't notice that Warrod was calling his name repeatedly._

_The woman smiled at him, before frowning again. "My dear boy, do you know who I am?" She asked, lifting up a finger._

_Yuri slowly shook his head, "No, I don't believe I've seen you around before. Just who are you, anyway?"_

_The woman smiled, "Well, look again boy!" She cackled, laughing hysterically. A large staff was drawn out of her cloak. It was wooden, crooked, but beautiful. At the tip of the staff was a large circle, as if something was missing from it._

_"Look at the staff closely, at the top, there is something missing from it," She stated, pointing to the hole at the top,"Where is the jewel!" She shrieked. Yuri stopped, he racked his mind, A jewel? What kind of jewel? What's this crazy coon talking about?, He thought. Wait, Yuri thought. His eyes suddenly widened._

_An image of a bloodshot orb appeared in his brain. Oh great, Yuri thought, I stole the damn witch's jewel. God, where'd I set it? Yuri mentally face-palmed himself. He had sold it after joining Fairy Tail. He, Warrod, and Precht had journeyed into what they supposed was an abandoned temple. Of course, there were traps, and the occasionally nearly-dying experience, but they cleared it out alive with the orb. What they didn't know was there was an elderly woman watching them from a space. His treasure-hunting days were long over, so he had given out almost all of his treasures._

_"Well?" The witch asked impatiently._

_Yuri knew that the witch probably already knew where it was. "I reckon you already knew where it is." Yuri stated bluntly. The witch glared at him, throwing him another funny smile._

_"Very well," Was all she said. She raised her staff high in the air. Faint purple smoke rose from it, hiding most of the floor. The witch cackled, raising her arms as high in the sky as she perhaps could. The wind rushed everywhere in the room out of nowhere, blowing anyone away if they weren't holding onto anything steady._

_"Yuri Dreyar!" She screamed. "For the wrath of the ancient Zytark Gemstone that you have stolen, shall it not be returned, I shall set a curse on you!"_

_Yuri Dreyar flinched back slightly, before presenting a cool face but worried face. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. He backed off slowly, and hopefully not noticeable. The witch looked straight at him._

_"As a new guild of Fairy Tail is born, he downfall of the founders shall receive its call. For when they perish, they all will mourn. The great-grandson of the treasure hunter will betray his friends, guild, and all."_

_"Cursed!" she shrieked, ruffling herself up, "Rotten. Rotten as a bad apple. Rotting all the way in hell!"_

_Yuri jumped back, instinctively, from all the booby traps he'd manage to avoid while hunting for treasure. "The hell?! What'd you do to me?" He exclaimed. The woman only tilted her head slightly before smacking her staff down against the wooden floor of the Fairy Tail guild, disappearing in a cloud of smoke, nothing left of her._

_The others slowly and cautiously stepped out from where they were and gathered around Yuri, who had fallen to the ground in shock, still looking at where the woman had been before she disappeared. He didn't question where she had been, no, he had seen magic like that before. He was questioning if she had actually put a curse on him. Was it real? Perhaps it was all a dream? Or maybe one of Mavis's illusions? No, she wouldn't have done something like that, it would have been too cruel. Not something she would ever have managed. Yuri kept thinking and reckoning, until he came to the conclusion that it was real. The curse is real._

_"Yuri!" Mavis yelled. She ran up to him and hugged him with all the strength she possessed. "Oh my god! I'm so happy that you're okay!"_

_Yuri smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, I'm sure you are. But please stop, I-I can't really b-breathe."_

_"Oh," Mavis said, before blushing a bit and letting go. Yuri let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, sorry about that Yuri."_

_"But what was that about? With the woman- or witch?" Mavis asked, her eyes streaming with curiously to learn more._

_"Yeah," Warrod chimed in, "What just happened?"_

_Yuri looked up at his fellow guildmates, and friends, "In all honesty, I'm not exactly sure. I-, I mean, I think I've just been cursed."_

_Everyone's eyes widened, but how could this be? How was Yuri of all people, the victim of a curse?_

_"Precht, Warrod. Do you recall that journey we took to the abandoned temple? The one in the mountains of Regiora?" Yuri asked, hoping to receive a positive response from at least one of them._

_"I believe so." Precht replied, after a moment of thinking it out. He had thought of doing something like that before._

_"And so do I," Warrod said, "A few years ago, maybe two, if my memory preserved and is yet as sharp as it used to be."_

_"I'm sure it still is Warrod," Yuri said, "Anyways, we stole this red jewel. And when we remembered the temple was abandoned, turns out we were wrong."_

_"What do you mean?" Warrod asked. He didn't like the sound of this._

_"I mean, there was someone watching us," Yuri explained, moving on, "And that the woman that was just here, the jewel belonged to her."_

_"So where'd you place it?" Mavis asked, wanting in on the conversation, even though she didn't know anything about what they were talking about (For once)._

_"Uh, yeah. You see, that's the problem right there. I don't know it is right now. I sold it to a merchant a while ago after I joined Fairy Tail. I actually sold most of my treasures away, seeing as I didn't want to have anything from my treasure hunting days," Yuri said, taking a short breath. He lifted himself up with the help of Warrod._

_"Thanks," Yuri said. Warrod only nodded. It was his means of replying. Yuri never took his eyes off of the floor where the woman had stood. Hopefully she would never return again. Hopefully._

_"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" Precht asked, facing up at the window. The rain was gone and the sun was out. Everything glittered in the sunlight and if you looked closely, perhaps even squinting, you could catch the faint trace of a rainbow._

_"No, I don't think so," Yuri said, looking at the window too, "But I hope this doesn't cause problems for the future generations."_

_*Flashback*_


	2. Chapter 2

"Natsu you numbskull!"

Natsu managed to dodge a flying chair in the middle of the chaos.

The guild was having one of their infamous fights once again. If they weren't careful, the fight would spread outside like a disease and end up destroying a majority of the town, which unfortunately, happened a lot.

"Quit throwing things at me Gray!" Natsu shouted over the chaos, just enough for the raven-haired boy to hear. Natsu pumped his fists in the air, igniting them on fire. He took a big grin and shouted, "All right! I'm fired up now!"

A loud cheer could have been heard from inside the guild. Whenever Natsu joined in the fight, everyone knew it really got started. Intense heat radiated from Natsu's flames and was felt all around the room, beads of sweat forming on everyone's faces. Lucy watched carefully from a safe distance flinching and covering her eyes whenever something painful and inappropriate occurred. But in secret, she was long used to it.

Elfman's pride had already been crushed, along with his adoration for manhood. Makarov sat calmly at the top of the stairs drinking beer, hiccuping repeatedly and looking at Mirajane with a naughty look on his face. Mirajane, on the other hand, was blushing furiously and complaining to her master to stop looking at her like that. Gray had his pants stolen again, while Jet and Droy tried to join the fight to show their power and courage to Levi, but already had gotten pushed out with fistfuls of black and blue all of their faces and arms. And on top of all that, Natsu was beating the pulp out of everyone, not seriously though. Only a few people noticed that the wooden pillars holding up the wall were starting to shake. They began wobbling harder, and soon they collapsed.

"Run!" Lucy managed to cry out, dodging a beam and running for her life. The others looked up and followed, not wanting to be crushed by the guild. Everyone was coughing and either standing and or lying on the ground, panting.

After a while, the smoke began to clear. Lucy squinted her eyes, as a figure was beginning to clear up. When all was finally cleared, Natsu was seen upon a heap of bodies all groaning, and stupidly grinned at everyone as if nothing at all had happened.

"Natsu!" Lucy yelled at the top of her lungs, her cheeks now flustered. Obviously, Natsu wasn't going to be able to escape the wrath of her now.

In the center of Magnolia..

Bickslow, Freed, and Evergreen were all shopping at the local stores right outside of Fairy Tail. They weren't very far from the guild, but far enough that they couldn't hear the loud ruckus of the guild fighting. Unfortunately, Freed pointed out that the guild was collapsing straight to the ground.

"Ugh, how dare they," Evergreen said briskly, pointing her hand onto her forehead, rubbing her temple and sighing impatiently. Bickslow only shook his head, his face hidden from the helmet he was wearing.

"I'm not surprised, ya know?" Bickslow said, turning his head to where the guild was, once illuminating the sky, now pieces of rubbish lying flat on the dusty ground. "This is Fairy Tail we are talking 'bout."

"I guess so. Do you think Laxus would have allowed this if he were here," Freed wondered, obviously imagining Laxus putting an end to all the fighting.

"Perhaps," Spoke Evergreen, "Or maybe, he would've joined along as well, knowing him."

"Oh well. Back to shopping we go," mumbled Freed. They were out shopping for the perfect gift to give Laxus tomorrow. A big event was occurring tomorrow evening and everyone was all pumped up for it.

"I must find the perfect gift to give to him!" Freed shouted, ignoring the odd stares he was receiving from other shoppers nearby him.

"Geez, calm down will ya," Bickslow groaned, "You don't have to be so tense about it."

"He is right," Evergreen said, hiding her face from a fan she was inspecting at a stand.

"Do you think he'll want a scarf," Freed asked, wanting to impress him tomorrow.

"Why would he need one?," replied Evergreen.

"Ah, you're right," Freed sighed, but then smiling again. "We shall not leave here until we find the perfect gift for Laxus!"

Both Bickslow and Evergreen groaned. They knew whenever Freed said something along those lines, he meant it. They were going to be there for a while.

Laxus was well-known as Fairy Tail's Thunder Dragon Slayer, and my, everyone was in for a shock when they found out he was a dragon slayer. His reputation as the Guild Master, Makarov's grandson continued to live on too. He was quite adored by the ladies and often found himself in ridiculous situations where they gushed all over him.

But not today. If fact, no one had seen Laxus today at all. Apparently, he wasn't feeling well this morning and had decided to stay home. Everyone had hoped he would get better soon in time for the big ceremony. After all, it was all about him and the title as the new Guildmaster.

Meanwhile...

More than several hours later...

Makarov was pacing around in his office. What to do? How can I avoid such of a large disaster?

The floor creaked as Makarov's shoes stepped on them. The guild was already done rebuilding, almost as good as new. Makarov was rather pleased when he saw the craftsmanship and teamwork everyone was able to pull together all on their own. Although the occasional fighting now and then, but otherwise, it was fine by him.

Makarov was a guild master, but even at times, they have to stop being brave and let out all their worries. But how? It had been such a long time since it all began.

Why he was only a child back then. There was no harm, nothing horrible had happened to him while he lived through his years. But they couldn't put the problem aside, not now. It had become quite a hassle. Tomorrow, Makarov would retire and move the crown to his grandson, Laxus. He couldn't have stopped. It was the prophecy that had sent this all to happen. The wicked thing. There was no doubting it.

Exacting one day from now, the curse of the 9th master will be set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I just love suspense and cliffhangers don't you guys? But anyways what do you think will happen to Laxus and will be turn back in time? Tell me what you guys think! Kudos to all of you!)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I tried to write more about the characters I usually never write about. It's weird)

At the Guild...

"A little to the left!"

"No, that's the right. Left!" Levy shouted.

"That's okay, Levi?" Elfman asked, moving the banner the tiniest to the left.

"Yep! C'mon down. There's still so much to do!" she shouted back, watching the banner held up high in the air, with only two poles supporting either end of it.

Elfman jumped down. "Yeah! Only a real man knows how to properly hang up a banner, especially when it's for a special occasion!"

The guild was setting up for the ceremony that was to occur this evening. Everyone in the guild had been invited and even some extra guests.

"Yo!"

Everyone watched as the door to the Fairy Tail guild busted open, Sting and Rogue appearing, alongside with Lector and Frosch.

"Hey, how's everyone 'doin?" Sting said, grinning, while Lector cheered beside him.

Sting and Rogue were asked by Makarov to come help set up for the evening, seeing as they were nowhere close to finishing. In fact, they had pretty much just started. Sting was holding two thin but large wooden bases, while Rogue stood next to him wearing a yellow construction hat that had matched Sting's.

"Why are we wearing these?.." Rogue asked, slowly retreating from all the odd stares they were getting. "All we're doing is setting up for a party."

"I know. I just thought these might make us look more believable," Sting whispered, "Try to keep your voice down."

Rogue nodded. Even if they did look rather silly, no one would've expected the fact that they came here for an entirely different reason. Makarov had asked the two of them to come and watch out as, well, rather bodyguards, of some sort. If anything were to happen tonight, they would be there to make sure no one got harmed. Rogue blushed a fierce shade of red, as some girls nearby were giggling, waving at him, and pointing at the little bright hat that was currently sitting on top of his head.

"Anyways, why do you think the old man asked us to be here? I mean, I know we're supposed to be guards or something, but to guard the people from what, or rather who?" Sting asked, waving as Lucy and Gray had spotted them.

"I am not sure," Rogue said, looking up to see the banner of Laxus, "But seeing as the main guest of the ceremony is Laxus, it could be him. From what I heard, he was supposed to be the 9th master of Fairy Tail today."

"Huh, I guess. But maybe there's something Makarov has up his sleeve. What if we were sent here to protect Laxus from someone," Sting asked, getting pumped up at the idea of taking down a spy for Fairy Tail. He could get riches and a cool crown.

"Sting, you're so cool!"

"He's a legend!"

"Sting! Can I get your autograph!"

"Mommy! I wanna be just like him when I grow up!"

"Hey, I know what you're thinking, cut it out," Rogue said, gently elbowing Sting in the shoulder.

Sting chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah."

"Hey, Rogue," Frosch started, "Do you think they'll be an attack tonight?'

Rogue stopped walking for a moment. He bent down and saw Frosch, with slight tears in his eyes.

He smiled a bit. "Don't worry, I promise no one will hurt you."

Frosch looked up. "It's not me I'm scared about. Just be careful, okay? Promise me, you'll be safe."

"Of course I will," Rogue said, before offering his hand out to Frosch, who with two tiny pink paws, accepted it. Together they walked back to where Sting and Lector were talking to Lucy and Gray in the middle of the guild floor.

"...really...you don't say...Rogue!" Sting barked, "C'mere, you'll want to hear this!"

Rogue sauntered, with Frosch still next to him to where Sting was. "What's going on? Did you find out the real reason why we were sent here?"

"Well.. Yes and no. Sort of," Sting said, "You see, according to them," He pointed at Lucy and Gray, "Makarov was going to give up his title as Guildmaster and pass it down to his grandson Laxus."

"Oh, I see. So that was what the ceremony tonight was for. But the reason why we are actually here for is still..."

"Unknown," Sting stated.

"Just exactly why are you guys here?" Gray said, joining in on the conversation.

"Yeah, how come Makarov brought you here? I for one definitely know you guys weren't sent here for helping out to plan the ceremony," Lucy chirped, now intrigued.

"I'm not really sure myself," Rogue stated blankly, "But he wanted us to protect something."

"Or someone," Sting said, adding a point.

"Well, maybe-" Lucy started.

"C'mon guys. Try to help will yeah?" Gajeel scoffed, before mumbling, "Stupid... good for nothin'...sent here... Not even helping."

"He's right," Rogue said, glancing at him who was now hammering in the last of the decorations and streamers hanging in the air.

"We can talk about this later," Sting said.

They all nodded. Gray checked the clock hanging on the wall. "The ceremony's 'bout to start anyway."

Everyone, including Sting and Rogue, took their seats as a red carpet was thrown in the middle of the aisle. Excited chatter was spread among everyone, but soon stopped as the doors opened, revealing Laxus who was wearing his signature coat and purple collar shirt.

He pasted everyone in the aisle, walking at a slow but steady pace to the front of the guild where Makarov could have been seen standing on a small stand.

"Looks like he got better," Gray whispered to Erza, who just nodded her head. Rumors had it that Lauxs had caught a fever and cold right before the ceremony the other day. I guess he recovered.

"He looks a bit different somehow," Natsu poked in, trying to put his finger on what it was.

When Laxus had gotten to the front, he abruptly stopped. Makarov raised one hand. "Laxus Dreyar, my grandson. I have been to be accepted as the title Guildmaster for years now. It is time that as old and frail I am, I must retire. All must come to an end, it is now time for a new era for Fairy Tail!"

Makarov looked at Laxus with tears in his eyes. Laxus only stared back. "Laxus Dreyar, I proclaim you as the official 9th master of Fairy Tail!"

Laxus kneeled on one leg and bowed his head. With his eyes closed, he smiled. "I am honored grandfather. Thank you, I shall accept the responsibility and duty to be the next Fairy Tail Guildmaster. As I agree to this, I know a burden it could become and I accept all falter to whatever shall happen."

With a final touch, Makarov stood down from the stand and took Laxus' hand and raised it.

Crowds of cheers erupted from the once quietness of the ceremony. It was now complete. On this day, Laxus Dreyar would become the 9th master of Fairy Tail.

Laxus' smiled faltered for a second before resuming back, while Makarov's face was all joyful. But if you looked closely and observed it cautiously, beneath all the fake happiness, his eyes were filled with worry and fright. Natsu noticed this and turns right to tell, Gray. After telling him, Gray's shoulders stiffen.

"I see it," Gray murmured, "How have I never noticed this.."

"But what does it mean?!" Gray whispered, frustrated. Just what was Makarov hiding from them?

Laxus' POV

Laxus was in his room, sitting on his bed.

What to do? I should be happy. I just became the new master of Fairy Tail, but why am I not?

He rubbed his face, confused with himself. What more could I want? I finally achieved my goal, and I hope to bring good to my words.

But Laxus wasn't just confused. A day ago, he had just been sick, he couldn't even have gotten out of bed! Luckily he recovered, well at least that was what he thought. Ever since his fever and cold went away, he had kept receiving stabs of pain near his heart. He wasn't sure why. It bothered him all day but right at the ceremony it had stopped completely.

*Pound*

"Ugh," Laxus moaned. It was back once again. It had felt like thousands of needles stabbing all into his heart.

*Pound*

It was really hurting. Maybe I should try to call for someone, he thought.

*Pound*

Laxus started to feel dizzy at first. The room was spinning. He stood up, shaking on his feet, and tried to walk before almost falling and needing to land on the wall for support.

*Pound*

Laxus raised himself up and began walking again. He was almost there, his vision blurred, when-

*POUND*

And with a thud, Laxus fell on the floor, probably bruising his knee in the process from the impact. The grunted, trying to get back up, but his eyelids were starting to close.

No, no, no. This isn't good. Wake up! C'mon!

Everything began fading away, into a dark void. The darkness crept up and the pounding slowly started to disappear. Laxus looked up at the light glaring down at him. It was so bright, so, so bright..

A loud scream was heard from Laxus' room that had woken everyone up with a startle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh, how I love cliffhangers... Anyways, Laxus should be more appreciated, ya know? He's fabulous.)


	4. Chapter 4

Natsu had woken up to the sound of screaming.

A great way to wake up to.

Wait? What was that? Did Gray accidentally sleep-walk into the girl's apartment homes again?

Natsu started rubbing his eyes, slowly waking himself up. He grunted, who could be up this hour at night?

The voice sounded familiar, although not quite Gray's. Hmm, Gajeel? No, Elfman, eh. Wait, Laxus?

Yeah, it had to be him. Natsu knew him all too well. It was definitely him.

He jumped out of bed, got dressed, and ran into the guild hall. Not many people knew about this, but Laxus didn't like sleeping with the other guys in the apartment so he slept in a room hidden behind a bookshelf in Makarov's office. Natsu had accidentally walked into Makarov's office at night, asking for a switch in his room, because bunking with Elfman kept him up for nights and nights, when he had spotted Laxus talking to Makarov, before he pulled a book off the shelf and disappeared into his room as the bookshelf returned back.

What in the world...?" Natsu had mumbled.

But that was old news. Natsu slowly creaked open the door that lead to Makarov's office room, and inside, everything was clean and all tidied up. Not a spot of dust to be seen. It was deadly silent. Natsu closed the door behind him quietly, hoping not to make a sound. He flinched back slightly at the sound of his foot on a creaking floorboard. Yikes. I guess I'll have to be more careful than usual.

He tiptoed over to the bookshelf. His hands were shaking slightly as he reached out for a book. He quickly swiped it, shutting his eyes and hoped nothing bad would happen.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

He fiddled with his fingers, perhaps trying to stretch them out. He slowly pulled out every book at once until it came to the last one. It was a big and dusty brown book, standing tall on the shelf as if mocking the others which were now lying on the floor.

Natsu reached his hand out, and tugged at the book.

*Creak*

He had backed out, his eyes bewildered. Why was he so surprised? He had seen the bookshelf open before, so why did he feel so uneasy?

Maybe it was because of what came, or rather, fell, out of the shelf. With a loud thud, a certain blonde had fell out from behind the passageway, as if leaning on the back of the bookshelf for support. Natsu immediately ran to him. With a grunt and a heavy push, Natsu flipped Laxus onto his back, so that his face was upward.

"How'd this happen? What the hell?" Natsu mumbled.

There, in his arms, was Laxus. He was unconscious, his mouth opened slightly as if he was screaming before he was forced to pause.

His face was pale and dull, with no emotion or expression seen in it.

Natsu eyes were clear and filled with worry. Maybe he just passed out, that'll all, was what he kept thinking to himself. But he knew this wasn't true. Back at the ceremony, Natsu saw the waving smile Laxus had managed. It was unfoolable, to him at least. Natsu had saw right through it.

Something was horribly wrong with Laxus.

Laxus's POV

Laxus had woken up in cold sweat. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was white. A bright flash of light had blinded him momentarily. He reached his arms out to rub his eyes but something warm clamped to one of them. After blinking away his morning attitude, he strained his neck forward to see what, or who, it was.

There, Natsu was sounded asleep against a chair, his hand stilling gripping Laxus' arm. With a small snort, Natsu wearily opened his eyes, before shaking his head. He leaped back a little bit.

"Woah, how long have you been awake for Laxus?" Natsu questioned, relief washed on his face. He was glad that Laxus was okay.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Laxus replied, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

At first, Natsu thought something was off, the forced smile on the Blonde's face, the uneasy speech, and the tone of his voice. It didn't sound right, a bit off. But he shook that thought from his mind. Of course, he's acting weird. He just woke up, he must feel a bit tired.

"Alright! C'mon then. You had everyone worried!" Natsu said, grinning. He extended out his hand and offered it to Laxus.

"Yeah.." Laxus replied, but pushed the hand away, "I can walk on my own though."

Natsu watched quietly, as Laxus pushed himself off the bed and started walking. He made his way to the door, and looked back, giving Natsu a reassuring smile.

Natsu smiled back but suddenly frowned after the Blonde had exited the room. Natsu noticed it right away. He may have smiled but those eyes of his were cold.

Dark even. No emotion was show through them, except for the hard stoned eyes Natsu was forced to look at. The way he had looked at him just now could've frightened someone. Those eyes weren't Laxus', they were the eyes of a monster.

Back at the Guild Hall...

It was now morning, for the ones at Fairy Tail who hadn't heard the screaming last night were now in the guild hall, chattering and eating breakfast. Most of them were trying to wipe away their morning tiredness. But not Gray.

Right as Natsu had walked in, Gray had sensed this. His presence was thick with pressure. Something weird was going on, and Natsu was the root of it, at least.

"Yo Erza," Gray called at, signaling his hand to her as she walked inside the Guild Hall.

Gray watched as she sat down in front of him. "What is it Gray," She asked.

"Hey... Have you noticed anything different about Natsu...recently?" The raven-haired boy asked. Watching cautiously as Natsu was talking to Makarov about something.

"No not really. What brought on this question?" Erza asked, watching Gray carefully. Why would Gray say something like that? He wouldn't be saying that unless there really was something wrong with Natsu, but there's not, right?

"I'm not really sure myself. It's just, I felt something strange when a Natsu walked in today. Ah, but I bet it's nothing," He said with a smile.

Erza just nodded. She wasn't sure if Gray was lying or not, but the best answer would just be to wait and see.

"Hey Erza! I brought the cake you asked for!" Lucy shouted, as she jogged over to their table. Lucy slide in the booth next to her and gave her the cake. Erza's blank face suddenly turned to joyful, like a little kid on Christmas morning.

Lucy began pointlessly talking and saying random things as Erza mowed through her cake. Gray stared hard at the table trying to figure everything out. At the midst, Natsu was watching all of this, and speaking to Makarov.

"So what do you think we should do about it?" Natsu asked, waiting for Makarov to speak back.

"I think we should try to find him down before the curse can get any further, and we can't tell anyone about this, we don't want to cause panic."

"Yeah," Natsu said, "but h-"

Everyone's eyes turned to the guild door. It was broken open and a deadly presence started walking in. He turned his head to Makarov, glaring at him. It was Laxus.

By then, everyone had already felt it. The change in the air, the pressure now thicker then ever, and the shallow breaths everyone took. This was not Laxus.

"Makarov, grandpa," Laxus said, walking towards him.

"What do you want," Makarov said, clenching his teeth, "Laxus."

"As you know. Now that I am the new Guildmaster, Fairy Tail will be my guild from now on. And... There will be a change of rules."

Laxus turned his head away from him, "First, I want you out and gone from this Guild. And never return."

Gasps could be heard from the crowd of people that now gathered around Laxus and Makarov. What this truly happening? Why was Laxus kicking Makarov away from the guild, forever?

"Second, everyone will look down whenever speaking to me. None of you have the power to be as strong as me and furthermore, are weaker then me. I will not allow you to disrespect me like that."

"And third, if anyone lets any of this out, they will be burned to ashes and will receive a slow and torturous death, in front of everyone at the guild."

"Those are all my standard rules, I hope you exceed to follow them. If not..." Laxus said, raising his fist which was glowing with dark lightning, "I'll burn you until you're nothing."

Everyone widened their eyes, what kind of rules were those? This was not like Laxus, he would never do anything like this! All eyes were on the Blonde as he began walking back into what use to be Makarov's office, now his.

"Natsu! Gray! Lucy! Erza!" Makarov shouted, the crowd clearing away to make a path for them. All of four of them stepped forward.

"What is it gramps," Natsu asked, probably already knowing the answer.

"As you know, I cannot be in Fairy Tail any longer because of the rules Laxus set down, but the reason he is acting like this is because of a curse."

"Huh? What kind of curse?" Lucy asked, a bad feeling creeping over her.

"It was a curse past down from my father Yuri Dreyar. Long ago, when Yuri was still a treasure hunter, and before Fairy Tail was formed, Yuri had stolen a jewel from what he thought was an abandoned temple. It turned out not to be abandoned though. And when Fairy Tail was formed, Yuri decided to rid of all his treasure hunting items and sold or gave all of them away, including the jewel. The jewel had belonged to a witch and she placed a curse on him for it. The curse of the 9th master."

"Wait, so, is the curse what's causing Laxus to act so weird?" Gray asked.

"Yes. The curse of the 9th master is for when a descendant of Yuri will turn against his dearest friends and betray all of them. He becomes ruthless and cold. His eyes just aren't bright anymore," Makarov said sadly, "But there is a cure. A remedy to reverse the effect of the curse."

"How?" Ezra asked.

"It's at the top of Tenrou Island, on the tree. At the top of the tree, there'll be a spirit who guards the Potion of Ever-Healing. You need to reach it and bring it back. Once it's here we can give it to Laxus to reverse the curse. But be careful, as the spirit will destroy all of you if the wrong person touches it. Only the ones with the purest heart of all will be able to receive the potion."

Alright! If this means we can help bring Laxus back, then we'll do it!" Natsu cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

"And... Please, save my grandson," Makarov said, tearing beginning to form in his eyes.

Natsu stopped cheering for a moment and looked at Makarov.

"Don't worry, we're a team. Nothing can stop us. We'll get the cure and bring it back to help Laxus," Natsu said, before raising a big grin of his face.

"I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

"Achoo!"

Erza and Lucy flinched back slightly, hoping they didn't get sneezed on.

"That's disgusting man. Why'd you come if you're sick?" Gray asked, tsking and swiping his arm to a safe distance away.

"Well. I told Makarov that-" *sniff* "-That I would bring back the Potion of-" *sniff* "-Healing. I promised him," Natsu said, continuously sneezing.

"Jeez, if you're gonna come with us, just try not to spread the sickness," Gray said with a look of disgust, "I mean seriously, it's pretty disgusting."

"Uh huh," Natsu said sarcastically, clenching his hand around the tissue he was holding.

Lucy stared at the tissue hard before trying to change the subject, she didn't want to hear anymore of this.

"Uh, so, where exactly are we right now?" She asked, looking around at the vast trees blocking her view.

"Hmm..." Natsu said staring at the map he was holding, "We're at... Oh! The forest of Alabrela."

"Wait, what?" Lucy asked, grabbing the map from Natsu's hands. She stared right at it, her eyes searching for where they were.

"Hold on! If we're in the Forest of Alabrela, then that means... We've been going the wrong way!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Natsu!"

Ezra, Gray and Lucy all walked happily among each other not bothering to look at back at Natsu, who was dragging his feet and rubbing the big red bump of his head.

"We've made it," Erza said, spotting the enormous tree, "But first, we have to cross the sea."

Tenrou Island was indeed a vast island in the middle of the sea with the Tenrou Tree marking in the middle of the land.

"C'mon, I see a boat we can use down there," Lucy said, pointing at a small wooden boat that was docked near the shore of the blue waters.

Gray looked back at Natsu as they were walking down to the shore, he had a sick and horrified expression smacked on his face. Gray didn't think twice. Knowing Natsu, he probably wasn't going to like the boat ride across the water to the island.

"Ugh.. I hate boats," Natsu groaned. His head was lying near the edge of the boat, with an expression that made all the fish laugh from under the water.

"True. But you also hate all moving vehicles...Including boats," Lucy chimed in, then switching her eyes from Natsu to the great blue sky above them, "I just hope everyone will be alright back at the guild."

"Even Laxus?" Gray asked warily. Laxus had changed, and definitely not for the better. Even if they do get the potion needed to cure Laxus, would they be able to see him as the person he was before?

Lucy nodded. "Even Laxus."

"He may act different now, but we know it's not his fault. He was destined to be the 9th Master and to be cursed. We couldn't have stopped it from happening. But we can fix it," Erza said, reassuring everyone, "And besides. He'll still be our Laxus. Nothing will change that."

"Yeah. I guess so," Gray said with a small smile. He was lucky to have such great teammates like them.

"Ack! Not to intrude in your sappy little talk but are we close?" Natsu said from the corner of the boat. Everyone have forgotten about him for a second.

"Its not sappy. We're just a bit worried, that's all," Lucy retorted, before trying to look for any sign of land.

"We're almost there," Erza replied.

"Great," Natsu said, "And what are you worried about? Who, Laxus?" Natsu asked, out of curiosity.

"Yeah, who else?" Gray snorted.

"That bastard? I wouldn't be worried about him. He'll be fine. He's strong and isn't willing to give up, for the sake of the others. As long as someone believes there's good in him, he'll continue to fight it," Natsu said, shakily pushing himself up and joining the others, "I mean, what kinda person would he be if he weren't all brave and tough. He is Makarov's grandson after all. He has the tough Dreyar blood running in his veins. He'll be fine. I promise you."

Everyone was speechless. Lucy was the first to speak.

"Yeah, you're right. Laxus will be fine."

"I agree," Erza said, nodding approvingly.

"Since when you become so sappy? Ya Flame Brain," Gray said, smirking at him.

Natsu grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "I dunno, I guess it just came to me."

When the boat finally stopped moving and softly drifted onto the soft sand of the island, there was no surprise when Natsu immediately jumped out. He raced onto the sand and laid flat down, creating a sand angel.

"Ah ground! Sweet, sweet land! I've missed you so much!" Natsu exclaimed, hugging the ground.

"Ah, man. That's disgusting," Gray said, offering Natsu a hand. He pulled Natsu up and they rushed to catch up to Erza and Lucy, who were already walking to the tree.

When they got there, they all looked up at the giant tree. The Tenrou Tree stretched way beyond what they could see. It was vastly large, as if the tree could stretch on for miles.

"How the hell are we going to get up there?" Natsu said, a puzzled look on his face.

"The answer is so simple even you could know it," Erza said, directing a finger at Natsu before looking at the tree, "We climb it."

2 Minutes Later...

"Woah! Check out the view!" Natsu exclaimed, grinning, "I can see everything from here!"

Everyone was currently climbing the Tenrou right at the moment and they were able halfway up, rapidly climbing it. The view, however, was incredible. They indeed could see almost everything from the height they were at. One small mistake, and soon you'll be nothing more than a puddle at the bottom of the tree.

"Do any of you know what kind of guardian's going to be up there?" Lucy asked, praying it wasn't going to be anything that could eat or swallow her.

"I dunno. Maybe a cool acid-dripping monster with sharp fangs and 10 eyeballs!" Natsu replied, rambling on and on about all the possible things they could see.

Lucy shivered, holding on tighter to the tree. She really hoped there wasn't going to be anything scary like that.

When they finally reached the top, they found that it was a large empty room, shaped like a circle. The floor was the wooden bark of the tree and leaves covered around and mostly above the room. In the middle, there was a small white pedestal, smoothly carved and looked as if made out of finely polished marble. But the pedestal wasn't what Natsu and the others were looking at. It was what was on the pedestal that caught everyone's attention.

Placed right on top of the pedestal was a small glass bottle. There was a small cork blocking the golden liquid inside the bottle from pouring out. At first glance, everything seemed fine. It looked as if the room was unprotected. But as you begin to observe your surroundings more clearly, you'll see a small figure hidden behind the bottle.

"Who are you?" And what is your business here?" A voice spoke. Everyone watched cautiously as a figure stepped from behind the pedestal, facing them. Although Natsu, Erza, Lucy, and Gray were all at a safe distance away from the figure, they stilled sensed faint traces of magic from her.

She had short light blonde hair, almost white in fact. Her eyes were a glossy gold color, twinging with a mix of chocolate brown. She wore nothing except for a small, plain white dress. Barefooted, as she slowly approached them.

Gray was the first to step up and away from his teammates, walking just a bit closer to the girl.

"We're from Fairy Tail. And what we're here to take-" Gray said, pointing his hand to the glass bottle, "-is that potion."


	6. Chapter 6

"Fairy Tail you say?"

The girl looked at them curiously, eyeing them one by one. She took another step forward, forcing Gray to step back. The look in her eyes were sharp, with a sudden dark look.

"Fairy Tail?" She asked again. Her eyes darkened, replaced by a look of pure rage and hatred.

"Why...? Why Fairy Tail!?" She screamed, shaking with rage.

Gray stepped back, returning to his friends, side by side.

"Run!" Erza had shouted, as the chaos began. The girl shrieked, lifting both of her hands, beams of white light forming. She pushed her hand forward, controlling the beams of light which were shooting out rapidly, aiming at Natsu and the others.

Natsu jumped out of the way, nearly hit, but not scathed, luckily. He ran, holding a hand out as he grabbed a branch and pulled himself over it, jumping behind a thick tree bush. There, panting for breath, Natsu saw Erza, Lucy, and Gray all sitting quietly on the wooden floor. He joined the others, resting on the floor, gazing at the hole in the bush where Erza was looking at.

"What's up with this chick?" Natsu mumbled. Something was wrong, Makarov never told them the guardian had wanted to kill them.

"We have to take her out," Gray stated.

"Seriously? Harm a little girl like that?" Lucy whispered, eyeing the shaking girl nervously.

"Uh- If you haven't already noticed, she already tried to kill us-" Natsu started.

"-So we have to return the favor," Erza said, starting to get up. She glanced around at everyone, motioning for them to follow her.

This is really gonna suck, Natsu thought to himself.

2 Minutes Later...

"You who! Scary little girl, over here!" Natsu called out, successfully drawing the attention of the pale-haired girl. She glared at him, tears in her eyes. It wouldn't be long before she charged.

Hmph. Why was I put on for bait? And why is she crying? Natsu thought, he casted her a confused look, searching her eyes for any emotion besides anger and hatred.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu shouted, letting a mountain of fire erupt from his mouth and onto where the girl was. The temperature turned fairly warm and sparks of fire flew around in the sky. As the fire and smoke cleared, he saw the girl emerge from it, unscathed. She swung her hand and shot out several beams.

Natsu dodged most of them, running around her and trying to keep her attention on him. Natsu only prayed that she wouldn't look behind her. As Gray was currently sneaking up at the potion, reaching out to grab it.

Gray felt beads of sweat to start forming as he cautiously went to grab it, his fingers colliding with the bottle. But as soon as he touched it, he felt a slowly burning sensation take over his senses. The pain rapidly increased into what felt like sharp jabs all over his hand, moving down to his hand and soon his whole body.

Gray hissed, retrieving his hand back, holding it with his other one. Dammit, Gray thought, I can't reach the bottle.

It only got worse for Gray.

The girl stiffened, her body frozen for a second before she turned around, dark rigid eyes meeting with blue onyx ones.

"Crap!" Gray shouted, jumping in the air to avoid multiple beams of light. He positioned his hands in a familiar way.

"Ice-make Lance!" He shouted, returning the attack with multiple ice lances. He watched as the girl dodged what seemed all of them, shattering to the ground. She looked unharmed, but there was a trace of blood coming out from her cheek. A single cut. That's all Gray needed. He glanced back at Natsu, who was staring at him and gave a small nod.

"Hey! Pay attention to who you're fighting, will ya?" Natsu growled, the girl turning back at him once again. This gave Gray time to sort out the plan with Erza and Lucy.

"All right! Now I'm fired up!" He shouted, igniting himself in flames. He grinned, before jumping high in the air to attack her.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted getting closer and closer to her. He was so close now, just about to hit, when several beams flew right between the two, separating them. The girl raised a small smile, blasting the Fire Dragon Slayer backwards.

"Now!" Natsu shouted in midair, while he was still recovering from the attack.

Erza flew out from behind the bushes, flying at the girl in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, dozens of swords following beside her.

"Heaven's Wheel Armor!" She shouted, watching as the girl slowly turned around, a look of horror and fear mixed on her face. Erza struck her, putting all her might into the swords. One after another, all the blades took a turn swiping at her, cutting her up.

Erza panted for breath, looking at the dust and smoke everywhere. When it cleared, Erza thought she saw someone lying on the ground. That means the girl was down.

"Erza! Watch out!" Natsu yelled. But it was too late.

Erza looked back just enough to see a giant ball of light being shot out at her, she gasped, blood trickling out of her mouth. She fell backwards, until there was no more ground left. Everyone watched as Erza fell off the cliff, a shocked expression of her face.

Erza!" Lucy shouted, running out from the bushes to try and save the redhead. "Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

Waving her golden key in the air, and with a dash of bright light, Loke had appeared.

Natsu only stood, watching as Loke dove down hopefully grabbing Erza. Lucy looked off the edge of the cliff, unable to see the both of them. Maybe they hadn't made it back safely...

Lucy looked up at Natsu, a worried look in her eyes. She shook her head slightly, and Natsu knew what it had meant. They probably didn't make it out.

A fiery rage suddenly flew inside of Natsu. This girl had killed two of his friends, he cared deeply for them (Even Loke, I guess). And she severed those ties to them.

Gray and Lucy both watched in amazement as a new glint shone in Natsu's eyes. This is what made him stronger, more powerful. The power to protect the ones he cared so deeply for. For his Guild, and for his family.

"Fire Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!" Natsu roared, charging right at the girl. The girl's eyes changed, this was it. She knew she was done for.

A direct hit.

Natsu stood on one knee, gasping for air. Burn marks laid across the whole tree, amazed that it hadn't all burned down yet. And yet, once again smoke was piled everywhere, thick layers arising above, higher and higher. When it all finally cleared, the girl was lying on the ground, covered in ash marks. Still faintly breathing, the girl had not died.

Gray arose from the bushes and Lucy from the edge of the cliff. They walked to Natsu and stared at the girl. They had to take the potion now. For everyone, including Erza.

"Erza.." Lucy mumbled. She was gone.

"Hey, don't count me out that quickly," Came a sharp voice from behind Lucy. Everyone spun their heads and looked back at Erza, who was well alive and healthy, leaning slightly on Loke.

"I saw you Natsu," Erza said, "That was very good. Are you hurt?"

"Forget about me! What about you?" Natsu exclaimed, gazing at the redhead, failing to see any injuries or marks on her.

"No, I feel quite fine. I'm fine." She replied back.

"Not to cut this cute moment, but we still need the potion and time is running out fast," The raven-haired boy interrupted.

"Yes," Erza said, looking back at the girl who was still lying down on the ground, right next to the potion.

Natsu started walking towards the potion, but then switched paths and sauntered right up to the girl. He gently picked up one of her arms, feeling a pulse. He flipped the girl over slowly until she was on her back. Surprisedly, She was still conscious. Her eyes were half opened, but she was still awake.

"G-Go, ahead," She whispered, "Take it. Take the potion, you've earned it."

"What?" Natsu spoke, "But why?"

"L-Long ago, a few bandits had came up to this tree, c-claiming they were from Fairy Tail. Back then, I protected t-this tree with my dear brother," She whispered, tears forming in her eyes, "But, they weren't pure of heart, and we said no. B-But soon, they attacked, and my brother, he protected me with his life, sacrificing his to save mine. H-He casted a forbidden Fairy Tail spell that killed anything the person sees as their enemy. He successes, but died to in the p-process."

"Hold it right there," Natsu said, refusing to hear anymore of this. "Your brother risked his life to protect the bottle and you. So what? Do you think he gave up his life just to see you like this? I mean c'mon, you're a mess right now."

"W-What?" The girl whispered.

Natsu wiped a few tears from her face. "Be strong, not just for your brother, for also for yourself," He simply said.

The girl started crying, she couldn't hold it in anymore. "T-Thank you. W-Whoever you are, you t-truly have a pure heart."

Natsu stood up, glancing at the girl one more time before reaching out to grab the bottle. It didn't burn, instead it felt cool in his grasp. He gripped it tightly and took it out. Nothing happened.

"Alright!" Lucy shouted, "We got the potion!"

"Now all we have to do is bring it back to the Guild, and give it to Laxus," Erza said, now standing on her own, with Loke gone.

"Nice job Flamebrain," Gray congratulated the pink haired boy.

Natsu grinned, they had gotten the potion, now all they had to do was give it to Laxus.

Back at the Guild...

"You're late," Laxus snarled. He sat comfortably in a large chair, encarved in it was jewels and polished silver.

"I-I'm sorry Laxus," Warren rambled, "I saw someone on the street unconscious and I brought her to a hospital, a-and, and-"

"SILENCE!" Laxus shouted, he brought out a whip, which was encased in lightning. He brought it down on Warren and stroke him right across his side. He howled with pain, before collapsing to the ground, now unconscious. Everyone at the Guild watched in horror as blood stained what use to be a pretty pink carpet.

"Get him out of my sight," Laxus huffed, turning his head away from him, not bothering to even look at him. "That'll teach him to not be late. And a word of advise," Laxus stated to everyone at the Guild "Address me as Master from now on, or else you'll receive the same fate as poor Warren right here."

Everyone watched silently, cringing at the sight Warren was in. Elfman picked up Warren and quickly ran to take him into the Medical Unit. Mirajane began scrubbing at the blood, trying to remove it while Levi stood back, trying not to gag and spelled 'WATER' with her magic, helping Mirajane to remove it.

"Oh.. Where are you Natsu?" Laki whispered, trying to hid herself in her cloak, "Please, wherever you are... Hurry, time is running out. I don't know if we can survive anymore of this..."


	7. Chapter 7

"What're we going to do when we get back?"

Lucy was the first to speak. The group had gotten the bottle, and moved off the island. Luckily, Natsu had managed to survive the boat trip back. Right now, they were currently walking to the guild. In fact, they were very close. Natsu let out a loud sigh.

"I dunno.." Natsu said, "I never really thought of that."

"So what?" Gray asked, "Did you just just assume we could walk up to Laxus and hand him the potion, making sure to ask nicely for him to drink it?"

The raven-haired boy snorted slightly, crossing his arms at how stupid that sounded.

"Why you little..." Natsu growled, holding up his fist, "You tryin' to start something?"

"So what if I am?" Gray smirked, "You gonna insult me to death?"

Lucy watched helplessly as the two boys stood, both heads pressing against the other. They both glared at each other, as if trying to knock out the other person with looks alone.

"Come on guys.. Stop, we need to come up with a plan," Lucy said, trying to convince them to stop.

Erza suddenly jerked her head around. "Natsu! Gray! You boys aren't fighting, are you...?"

Natsu and Gray's expression both changed. They quickly wrapped their arm around each other's neck, forcing a grin to pop on their faces.

"Nope, nope." Natsu said, laughing a bit, "No fighting here!"

"He's right," Gray quickly chimed in, "Gosh Natsu, you're always right!"

They both smiled nervously at Erza, who only in return smiled back at them, turning her head forward again. "Very well. Good boys."

As soon as Erza had turned her head away both boys quickly separated, both glaring at each other from a safe distance.

"Back to the problem at hand," Erza spoke, "We need to find a way to get Laxus to drink the potion."

"We could try to add it into his drink when he's not looking," Lucy suggested.

"Hmm..." Erza thought for a moment, "No. When the Curse was put on him, all his power, including his senses increased. He'll definitely be able to smell out the potion in his drink, and then our plan will be ruined."

"Oh... Yeah right," Lucy agreed, looking a bit crestfallen.

"We could ambush him from someplace where he won't notice us," Gray answered, "And once we've got him pinned down, we can make him drink the potion."

"That could work, but the chances of us being able to pull that is very low," Erza replied back, "He already had quick reflexes, and the Curse only enhances it."

"Mmm.." Gray nodded. The risk of trying to do it would be far too great. A big price to pay.

"That means... Our only plan is-" Erza said, pausing as they had just arrived at the front of the guild.

"-Is to take him down." Natsu said, a grin litting up his face. "Laxus will have to go down by force."

2 Minutes Later...

"Do we all get the plan?" Erza said, staring at the guild.

Everyone nodded. They were going to burst in, first taking Laxus by surprise. Then they would all jump on him, attacking him from all sides, Erza taking left, Lucy taking right, Gray from behind, and Natsu on top. They'll all fire multiple shots at him together, and once they make sure he can't move anymore, Natsu will finish it off by pouring the potion down his throat.

Well, that was what their original plan was going to be. They did have a backup, but it wasn't as powerful, or good.

"Well.. Here's goes nothing," Gray mumbled, charging at the door as Erza gave the signal.

BAM!

Laxus nearly spitted out the water he was drinking. He settled down his goblet. He was sitting on his throne, the chair glistening with gold. Laxus growled, who was disturbing him now?

Everyone coughed as the smoke cleared, showing Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy. The door was down broken, lying in pieces underneath Natsu and the others.

"Well, well," Laxus smirked, lifting himself off the throne. He stood, cracking his knuckles, "What have we got here? A bunch of little brats?"

"Some brats we are," Natsu growled, grinning, "We'll be the brats that take you down."

Laxus' face suddenly changed. He frowned, before letting out a big, hearty laugh. "You really think you can beat me? Ha!"

Natsu suddenly charged, the others following behind him.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He shouted, pushing his fist against Laxus' face.

Natsu jumped back, Erza, Lucy, and Gray now gone. They were getting ready for the next stage of the plan.

Everyone in the guild stifled a gasp, as Laxus stood back up, but now blood oozing from his mouth. Laxus wiped the blood from his mouth, laughing a bit.

"You're gonna regret that," He spoke, a yellow aura now surrounding his body. It flickered and crackled, lightning encasing him now.

Now it was Laxus' turn. He charged straight at Natsu. The pink-haired boy just stood there, calculating when the blonde' attack would hit him.

"Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus yelled, his fist glowing brightly with electricity.

"Now!" Natsu yelled, when Laxus' attack was in range.

Erza jumped out from where she was, along with Lucy.

"Heaven's Wield Armor!" The redhead shouted, glistening silver armor surrounding her body.

"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" Lucy shouted, pointing the golden key in the air, summoning a big cow-printed bull with a glorious axe.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu screamed, sucking up the fire in his stomach and letting it all out from his mouth, flames spewing from every direction, aiming at their target.

All three attacks hit Laxus, dust flying everywhere form the impact. Natsu took a breath, looking at Erza, and then Lucy. Taurus had disapeared after he had swung his axe down at Laxus. They each gave each other nods, had they done it?

Wait! Natsu, watch out!" Lucy gasped, as lightning flew upward into the air. Wind cycled around Laxus, who was smirking at them, his eyes yellow.

"Lightning Dragon's Jaw!"

Laxus turned to Natsu, and gripped his hands together in a tight fist. He charged at Natsu, who was too late to dodge. His fist impacted with Natsu's stomach. He threw Natsu down into the ground, which was cracking. The ground erupted with lightning, shocking everyone.

"Argh!" Erza and Lucy both shrieked as the lightning cracked multiple waves of lightning at them throwing them far away. They were plunged into the wall, breaking through it and now two holes appeared. The impact of how strong the attack was had knocked them unconscious.

Natsu laid down on the ground, a giant hole in the ground surrounding him. Laxus stood up, looking down on the pink-haired boy. He only had a quick glance at him before another disruption had gazed his attention away.

"Ice-Make: Battle Axe!" Shouted from someone behind Laxus.

Laxus chuckled, not bothering to even look at who was attacking him from above.

"Too late, Gray. I already saw that coming!" The blonde said, raising his fist which was glowing with lightning.

"Raging Bolt!" Laxus yelled, a giant ball forming. Laxus moved his arm towards the raven-haired boy, who was taken by surprise.

The ball of lightning, under Laxus' command, hurled itself at Gray who did not expect him to be able to use a spell that quickly. And the way it formed... This was no ordinary magic, the Curse must've taken full effect now. No doubt about it, the power was extraordinary, unbelievable even.

"Gaah!" Gray shouted, as the ball had hit his body. His Ice Axe shattered, glistening as shards of ice fell onto the ground. But that wasn't all, the ball threw Gray's body the other way, to where Natsu was lying. He was lying down on the floor, covered with rocks and dirt. His body was only a few feet away from Natsu. He, too, was unconscious, blood pouring from his exposed chest.

"Gray!" Natsu croaked, forcing his arms to push himself up. He looked at his friend and rival, who was bleeding from every sight, the occasional twitching form the aftershock of the electricity. Gray groaned slightly, relieving Natsu knowing that he was still alive.

Natsu turned his head to Laxus, who was grinning at them from a distance.

"Whoops, guess I didn't know my strength," He said, laughing at Gray, "How more pathetic could he have been of an Ice Wizard?"

Natsu growled, rising to his feet.

"I'll make you pay," He said, looking at the frightened faces of all his friends, Levi, Elfman, Gajeel. And the unconscious bodies of Erza, Lucy, and Gray. "I'll keep my promise on that, I'll make you pay for hurting my family!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Honestly, writing this chapter actually hurt me. Poor Gray... I still hope you enjoyed, and let's all hope that Natsu will wipe Laxus' butt!)


	8. Chapter 8

"Pay, eh?" The blonde said, looking down at the boy.

"What can you do to me? Little punk."

"I can make you pay," Natsu said growling, "I will defeat you Laxus!"

"Ha!" Laxus shouted, before they both charged head on.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu roared, letting a heavy amount of fire explode from his mouth.

"You think you can just defeat me with your party tricks?" Laxus shouted, with a crazy glint in his eyes, "Lightning Dragon Roar!"

The two dragon roars impacted each other, spiraling back and forth, eventually cancelling each other out.

"Heh," Laxus smirked, "Not half bad for an amateur."

"We'll see about that," Natsu said, swinging down a fist that was engulfed in flames.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!"

Laxus dodged the blow just nearly, a thin burn mark quivering in his right cheek.

A glint only that of a maniac arouse in his eyes. "Natsu! You're dead!"

Natsu yelped as a fist came crashing onto his face with surprising speed and accuracy. Laxus laughed, watching the boy fall backwards crashing into the wall. He made impact, coughing out blood in the process.

"Bow down to me."

Natsu slowly raised up, staggering onto his feet. A wide grin suddenly split on his face. "Why the hell would I do that? And don't count me on just yet.."

The boy ruffled the ashes out of his bright pink hair. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Heh, let's see just how long you can last before you break," Laxus snarled.

Dammit Laxus!" Natsu screamed, "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"

Natsu charged mid way to the blonde, before realizing it. Laxus was waiting for him. Sure enough, Laxus pulled out a glowing fist. "Lightning Dragon Iron Fist!"

"Laxus," Natxu growled out, leaping away from the fist swinging at him, "Fire Dragon's Roasting Bath!"

Oohs and Ahhs were heard from the crowd watching the two fight anxiously. "Go Natsu!" Someone shouted from the crowd, "You can do it!"

Laxus looked at the crowd momentarily, scowling at whoever had done it. "I'll show you!" He shouted.

"You should watch who you're fight, mate," Natsu said, grinning up at the man.

Flames exploded from the Firs Dragon Slayer, flying all around the now heated up room. The fire was aiming at Laxus all at once, rapidly multiplying until there was barely any room left.

One especially large flame had hit Laxus straight in the jaw, pushing the blonde back. Laxus' hair was now matted with blood, stained by the red liquid. His hair was sizzling and burn marks covered at least half of his body. He managed to croak out a chuckle.

"Enough fooling around Natsu," Laxus said, "Time to get serious."

"I was just thinkin' the same thing," Natsu said.

Laxus began to glow, except this time it felt different. Scarier, more vicious. More.. Wild-like.

"Oh, c'mon Natsu. Let's play," The blonde said, smiling in an unfriendly way. "What do you say?"

The man's hair was now striking with electricity, his eyes full of hatred and nothing except for the emptiness foul anger.

"Way ahead of you," The pink-haired boy chuckled.

They both charged once again. Laxus's presence felt more.. Dark. A void swallowing him up.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu shouted again, aiming for Laxus' face.

"You've gotta try better than that," Laxus said, smirking. "Lightning Master's Hex!"

"The hell..." Natsu mumbled before looking up at the rows of black bolts of lightning, all shooting at him.

Cuts were planted on his boy, cross crossing him with marks. Blood seeped out of every mark, causing his former wounds to reopen.

Natsu screamed. The pain was unimaginable. It was agonizing, pain shivered through him, causing him to clutch at his chest. His head was pounding, he couldn't think straight. Only the foggy thought of protecting his friends told him to continue.

"W-What, kind of sick magic w-was that?" Natsu growled, standing up still clutching at his bleeding stomach.

Laxus laughed. "As if you couldn't be more pathetic. That was true power. And thanks to this curse, I've never felt stronger!"

"Laxus.." Natsu mumbled, "Evil intentions never go away do they?"

"All of you were fools to welcome me back with open arms," Laxus chuckled, looking at everyone, "Your life is at stake now."

Laxus then turned back to Natsu instantly. "Lightning Master's Shockwave!"

Thunder struck the room hard. Chairs and tables were burnt to a crisp, now nothing but piled of ashes and dust.

"Ack!" More blood spat out of Natsu's mouth. The boy had tried a sneak attack on Laxus while his head was turned. But as it turns out, he just've noticed it in time and hit him with no mercy.

"Fire Dragon's Claw!" Natsu tried, flames igniting his feet. If his arms were useless, he could still try his legs.

"Lightning Master's Solar Schock!" A lightning flamed ball appeared around Laxus' hand, crackling with energy.

It hit Natsu straight in the face, sending him flying again to the door. He flew out, landing on the hard ground with a loud thud and a few drops of blood.

Smoke raised from the boy, who was now bleeding heavily with the blows that were sent at him.

But his friends. He couldn't give up on them, never. He'd die trying to protect all of them. He would walk through hell and back if that meant his friends were to be safe. He wasn't going to give up now. No, he was going to protect them, all of them. Lucy, Erza, Gray. I will save them, Natsu thought. The boy pulled himself up to his feet. He walked back into the guild, leaning on the frame for support. Laxus stood in the middle of the room, the others crowding around him frightened.

"Well, well. Have you come back for more?" Laxus said, raising an eyebrow, "Or are you just that stupid?"

"I-I won't let y-you hurt my f-friends like that," Natsu managed, standing up straight now.

"Oh? Really?" Laxus said, "I'll just have to kill you first then!"

"Lightning Master's Hex!"

The familiar rows of black lightning bolts appeared, shooting at the Salamander who only grinned.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu shouted, the pain faded away, and a strange sensation ran over Natsu, making him shiver.

"The hell?" Laxus said, standing their as if frozen. "Why can't I move?"

The fire hit Laxus, covering him in the fiery red flames. A scream was heard from the blonde.

"I think it's called fear," Natsu said, grinning at the blonde who was now huffing up for air.

"Lightning Master Iron Hurl!" Laxus tried again, running up to Natsu, his hand covered with black lightning.

"Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" Natsu yelled, a determined glint in his eyes.

His body ignited in flames, charging like a bullet to the Blonde.

"Ack!" Laxus spat, flooding pouring out of several spots in his body.

Natsu punched the man deep into the ground, grinding his head on the floor.

Laxus grabbed the scruff of Natsu' scarf, pulling him. Natsu jumped back, leaving Laxus to leap high in the sky.

Natsu looked up at the man, jumping in mid air.

This is my chance now, Natsu thought. The pink haired boy jumped too, equaling up to Laxus.

"Fire Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"

Laxus' eyes widened, "Dammit..."

Natsu hit Laxus in the chest, the force pushing him back into the ground.

Natsu stepped back back, landing next to the hole where Laxus laid.

The boy stepped in there, seeing Laxus lying in the ground. The man groaned, relief washing on Natsu.

The Salamander reached into his back pocket, pulling out the potion.

"Here you go.." Natsu mumbled. He popped open the potion, the liquid falling into Laxus' opened mouth.

After a couple moments, Laxus began to stir. Soon after, he woke up. Blinking slowly, he turned his head to Natsu. "Salamander..."

"Did I really...?" Laxus asked.

Natsu nodded. "The curse. But I got the potion and you just drank it."

Laxus sighed, steadying himself up. Natsu quickly rushed over to help him, lifting his arm onto the back of his neck. They both walked out of the hole, everyone cheering as the two both returned safely.

"He really did it!" Max shouted, lifting a fist into the air, "Natsu really did it! He brought Laxus back!"

Eruptions of cheers grew, for Natsu and for Laxus.

"Well done my boy," A voice said from behind. Natsu spun his head around.

"Gramps?" Natsu said, quickly the old man walk in.

"Old man..." Laxus croaked, nearly falling.

Makarov lifted Laxus off from Natsu, holding him up. "It's alright Natsu, I can hold onto him."

"I-I'm really sorry Gramps," Laxus began, "I didn't mean to I swear!"

Makarov chuckled, his wrinkles appearing. "I know you didn't Laxus. You are forgiven, forget about it."

"B-But, but I-" Laxus tried, only to be lightly flicked on the head by Makarov.

"Just be quiet and rest Laxus. You're fine now."

Laxus looked as if he was about to saw something, opening his mouth. But Makarov only hushed him, signaling for him to stop speaking.

"Everyone in the guild will forgive you. They know it was a accident. They knew you couldn't have been able to stop it," Makarov said, smiling at Laxus, "In fact I think they already forgave you."

"Laxus," Natsu chimed in, "Just be happy. Everyone here loves you, you're a part of our family. And think about it, everyone will continue to love you, no matter what you do."

"After all," The pink haired boy added again, "I did stop you. With the curse."

Laxus finally let out what felt like an actual laugh, "Yeah, you're right I suppose. But wait till next time, I'll beat you again."

"You can try," Natsu said, "But I'll savor that battle forever."

They both laughed at this, glad everything was now over. Makarov smiled at the two.

"Good. Now the both of you can get to cleaning, the guild is a mess!"

The two boys groaned. What did they get themselves into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Afterword: And there you guys have it! I have finally completed The Curse Of The 9th Master. Sadly, there will jot be a sequel, as my time and schedule is quite busy. I will mainly write one-shots and two-shots from now on, possibly writing another series in the future. But moving back to the story.. I'm sorry if the ending was kinda bad. I had to rush and finish this as quick as possible so I could move on. But anyway how was it? I do hope you did enjoy it. Comment down below, reviews are always appreciated!)


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